Photobarf... - Wednesday, October 25 2006

crap...it bothers me when i finally find time/energy to blog and my mind's too fatigued to spit out anything i'd consider worth reading. ah well, that's what photos are for i suppose. let's just go w/ the most recent events.

Junky & Tina stopped by "l'hotel Raphael" in Mori-G for the weekend.

enjoy:

(Arrival - Saturday night)

first things first: dessert!





mischief-makers reunited @ the Hemp Bar





a chillin' rooftop in Mori-G





some late night yakitori




(Sunday - more adventures...)


soba breakfast





cruising in the hood is good...look what i picked up?





it just keeps getting better...





geeks in Osaka





the famous takoyaki(octopus balls), almost too hot to handle





2 of Japan's current "hot commodities"





slow food? that is unacceptable





tataki at my fingertips...now that's what i'm talkin' about





(...insert comment here...)





and finally, sake & Kobe beef...on the floor.

twas a good weekend indeed.





OH! i almost forgot...i am indebted to this visit b/c it was during this time that i was finally able to identify the Mysterious (and highly friggin annoying) Midnight Karaoke Man.

about 2-3 weeks after moving in here, i started noticing a faint (at first) voice that would pierce the air nearly every other night at about 2300. no music/tv accompanying it though, just a voice. in Japanese. uttering anything from serenades/ballads to "speedy" songs that sounded like weak Japanese rap.

it was tolerable (even amusing) at first, but you gotta understand...this guy just BELTS it sometimes...and he keeps on going. and going. sometimes i'll fall asleep to him crooning at midnight...and i'll wake up at 0400 and he'd still be at it.

i've been trying to find out who the baka is...i'd assumed he was below me somewhere b/c that's where the sound seemed to come from, but there were other people below me who i knew weren't singing so i figured he was from a nearby building, and despite my ears being able to hear his banshee voice so perfectly...i couldn't get a location.

that is, until now. >=]

seing as how they were the first overnight visitors at "l'hotel Raphael", i warned my 2 guests about the MKM, and they were highly anticipating his performance. sure enough, on their second night here he delivered...and more importantly, we found out where he lives.

the bastard lives DIRECTLY above me. #302!!

i had an empty pop bottle that i had saved on my balcony JUST FOR HIM, so i launched it up right away after we ID'd him after perusing my balcony during a midnight serenade. if you look closely you can actually SEE his shadow moving on the neighbouring building's wall as he sings.

i swear, this dude must be wearing headphones or something; my aluminum can made all this clanging/clattering as it bounced off his balcony, off the glass door, off the railing (and almost falling back down) and finally onto his balcony floor...and all it accomplished was a few seconds of silence before he started singing again.

so we went back inside and nailed the ceiling a few times...buddy stops for a bit, runs to check his door (he probably couldn't hear but felt the knocking and thought someone was visiting. probably a "fan")...closes it and resumes his bellowing.

it'd been a long day and i had no time to do anything else, but the important thing is that i know who my enemy is. that's written in some important book right? "know thy enemy"...or something like that. right? yeah...so whether i just keep on tossing up bottles every time i hear him screeching at night (and hopefully he'll get the idea when he notices a small pile forming), or it comes to me going up and knocking and coming face-to-face w/ this cacophonical cheeseball...at least i have a target. muahahahaha...that makes me feel good.

ok, he's not singing tonight. better take this opportunity and get a good night's sleep.

sayonara...

Finally... - Monday, October 16 2006

for those who're wondering what life in Mori-G is like/might wanna come visit/just don't really give a rat's ass but are bored and need to kill time at work...you finally get to see my place. with no previous JET tennant at this place; it was start from scratch...

some pics i took at the start while testing out my then-new camera phone:


empty.

(i bought the yoga ball so i wouldn't have to eat on the ground.)

seems like it took me forever to find a decently priced "regular" table and chair...why do these people love sitting on the floor so much?! O_o

so, rather than do a typical/boring show n tell, i thought why not make this slightly more interesting. how? ok, just work with me here...let's say...pretend you are...a ninja. oh c'mon...it'll be fun! i promise.

now, prepare to:




Enter the ( . )'s Lair...

















(didja do it?)

what?!

"Are you not entertained?!!"

fine.

got a short video clip/tour of the place to kicking around too, i'll add it some other time.

oh yes, and this is my ketai:


the Samsung 804ss. i'm a techno-phobe so obviously i wasn't looking for the fanciest phone out there w/ all the bells n whistles...this one cost like ~$15CDN on a contract.

looks a lot like the Razr if you ask me, and yes i got the orange one. it was either that or the black, and although i liked the "basic" black better at first...it was just plain flat-black and something about being in Japan seemed to sway me towards getting the metallic/copper-orange. this way i won't have to worry about not being able to see/find it at night. =P

quick notes:

Thursday, October 12 2006: biked to school in the rain, without my umbrella. i'd left it at school the previous day. showed up soggy and wet. very nice.

Friday, October 13 2006: found a little gem w/ some of the Kempo crew on Friday night. rooftop bar/patio less than 10minutes from my place: the "Hemp Bar". great place to just lounge and relax after a long week. must take pictures next time.

Saturday, October 14 2006: finally had to say goodbye to $9 haircuts. this treasure troll mop is getting out of control so i got up early and headed to one of the 20 hair salons in town to get it over with. the guy spoke better English than i expected, but despite that and my feeble efforts to communicate i had to watch in fear as my hair was transformed before my very eyes: first to look like a Beckham wannabe, then an early-90's Fresh Prince, and Astro Boy, before we finally managed to get me looking presentable. *whew* students would've had a field-day if Lee sensei showed up on Monday looking like a pineapple!

that whole ordeal cost me 3150yen. ~$30CDN! good grief.

good news though, afterwards i headed down to Umeda and found a cool shirt.

a Hello Kitty shirt.

yes, Hello Kitty. and, AND...it's PINK.

i'm not joking. it is cool.

(hey, i had a flashback and thought i still looked like David Beckham when i bought it ok?)



ah yes, and another random thought:

the unthinkable has happened...i'm finally starting to watch Anime.

why?

because ppl have advised me that it'll aid in my attempt to learn more Japanese. i don't know why all the CS/Computer dudes watch it, i guess it makes them feel more mature to be watching "sophisticated" cartoons. =P

but yes, i've started watching some "Naruto" and it's pretty cool.


(basically about some goofy kid who wants to become a ninja)



anyone have any other shows to suggest? i tried Gundam and Dragonball, but those just seem to drag on and ooon...no patience for those. and no, not "Bleach"...someone already suggested that, but i read the synopsis and it's about ghosts and such, and ghosts will creep me out and keep me up at night, so no scary ones please.

pics of my apartment/habitat to come soon...

random - Thursday, October 5 2006

quickly, here's some random amusement while i procrastinate on making a "real" post once again:

1) here's a clip Tyson got of this sudden rainstorm that came out of "goddamn NOwhere" when we were biking around town checking out grocery stores back in August...



(hit just as we were leaving our second heist...*ahem*...i mean, supermarket.)


2) was passing through a cd shop in Osaka when this caught my attention:






almost sounded interesting enough for me to buy...

...almost.

maybe if i come across "Slap of Beef" i'll have to give 'em a listen.

3) now THIS is how you know the Japanese are a technologically advanced nation:


2L of beer from a vending machine.

we can't even buy 2 litres of POP in Canadian ones!

4) and finally, you know how we have those Canadian ads for the Red Cross blood donor services where you hear some touching monologue/story on the radio...with some sappy background music, and they end the whole thing off with their snappy tag line: "Blood...it's in you to give."?

know what i'm talking about?

well, while i commend the advertiser's use of emotional/psychological appeal in calling the public to support this noble effort, it does seem to be sort of a roundabout way of saying "we need hemoglobin!"

now i admit their customs and "politeness" can be a bit trying/frustrating at times, but in this respect(donating blood) the Japanese are much more "to-the-point" than we are:


sign on the back of a mobile donor unit (a big bus in the middle of the street in Osaka)




o yeah, and if there's a sudden emergency or extremely urgent need for blood somewhere, the whole unit goes Gundam-style and turns into this tricked out mobile suit to transport blood asap:

































no, not really.

k, i should sleep. gonna be a full day tomorrow; it's our school's Cultural Festival. among other things, i'll be playing tenor sax with the band.

Oyasumi...